TORONTO MARLIES (Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs) - Head Coach: Dallas Eakins ... Record: 25-16-2-2, 54 points ... Home: 15-5-0-1, 31 points ... Road: 10-11-2-1, 23 points ... Standings: 3rd North Division ... 7th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Ryan Hamilton (41 GP 20-10-30) ... Leading goaltender: Jussi Rynnas (16 GP 8-7-1, 2.54 GAA, .914 Save %, 3 SO) ... Power play: 43-for-240, 17.9 percent, 11th AHL ... Penalty killing: 28-for-189, 85.2 percent, 8th AHL ... Goals for per game: 3.29, 4th AHL ... Goals against per game: 2.71, 13th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 10 L 3-2 vs. Texas ... Last 10 games: 3-6-0-1 ... The Marlies' 148 goals are fifth in the Western Conference ... The Marlies are 3-3-2-2 in their last 10 road games ... The Marlies average 16.29 penalty minutes per game, 15th in the AHL ... The Marlies have allowed 77 goals on the road, sixth-most in the league ... The Marlies have yet to lose in regulation when holding a lead after the first or second period ... The Marlies' three overtime wins are one off the lead league shared by the Houston Aeros and the St. John's IceCaps ... The Marlies are 17th in the AHL in power-play effectiveness on the road with 17 goals from 114 opportunities (14.9 percent) ... The Marlies are 19th on the AHL in killing penalties on the road, having given up 18 goals in 97 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 81.4 percent ... The Marlies average 28.82 shots per game, 23rd in the league. They allow 27.73 per game, sixth in the AHL ... The Marlies are 14-9-0-2 against North Division foes ... LW Ryan Hamilton is among the league leaders in shooting percentage with 20 goals from 79 shots (25.3 percent). He has recorded eight goals and four assists for 12 points in his last 13 games ... C Joe Colborne has contributed 15 points, including four goals, over his last 14 games ... D Paul Ranger is among the AHL leaders in Plus/Minus for defencemen with a rating of plus-17 ... D Simon Gysbers has two goals and three assists for five points in his last seven games ... All-time series: 42-36-0-7-8 ... This season: Last of 12 meetings. The Bulldogs posted a 4-1 win at home in the opener on Oct. 19, but lost 5-0 at Toronto the following night. The Marlies prevailed 5-4 in overtime at Hamilton on Oct. 26, but the Bulldogs skated to a 6-3 win at Copps Coliseum on Nov. 16, but fell 6-1 the following day at Ricoh Coliseum. The Marlies won 3-2 at Air Canada Centre on Dec. 26 and skated to a 6-0 win at Ricoh Coliseum on Jan. 2. The Bulldogs posted a 2-1 win at home on Jan. 8 but lost 3-2 via shootout to the visiting Marlies on Jan. 19. The Marlies, skated to a 4-1 win at home on Feb. 2 before the Bulldogs earned a 6-4 decision at Toronto in the penultimate game on Feb. 6... First-round NHL picks: RW Carter Ashton (Tampa Bay, 2009), D Joe Colborne (Boston, 2008), C Tim Connolly (New York Islanders, 1999), D Jake Gardiner (Anaheim, 2008) ... Connections: Bulldogs RW Mike Blunden is a Toronto native

HERSHEY BEARS (Affiliation: Washington Capitals) - Head Coach: Mark French ... Record: 23-19-3-3, 52 points ... Home: 11-13-3-2, 29 points ... Road: 12-6-0-1, 25 points ... Standings: 4th East Division ... 7th Eastern Conference ... Leading scorer: C Jeff Taffe (45 GP 10-32-42) ... Leading goaltender: Dany Sabourin (18 GP 7-7-2, 2.56 GAA, .910 Save %, 0 SO) ... Power play: 35-for-215, 16.3 percent, 17th AHL ... Penalty killing: 31-for-208, 85.1 percent, 9th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.54, 21st AHL .... Goals against per game: 2.44, 5th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 10 L 4-3 (SO) vs. Norfolk ... Last 10 games: 4-2-2-2 ... The Bears are 20th in the AHL in penalty minutes, averaging 15.73 per game ... The Bears have played 12 extended-time games, three behind the league-leading Lake Erie Monsters. The Bears have six wins and three losses each in overtime and via shootout in those games. The Bears' four wins via shootout are two behind the Providence Bruins who lead the AHL ... The Bears' road power play is 12th in the AHL with 13 goals from 78 opportunities for an efficiency rating of 16.7 percent ... The Bears have the fifth-best penalty killing unit in the AHL, having surrendered 11 goals in 87 shorthanded situations (87.4 percent) ... The Bears are 30th in the league in shots per game, averaging 25.96 per game. They allow an average of 30.19 per game, 15th in the AHL ... The Bears are 2-3-0-0 against North Division opponents ... The Bears are 14-0-0-0 in road games in which they have held a lead through the first or second period... C Jeff Taffe is 11th in the AHL in scoring with 10 goals and 32 assists for 42 points. He heads the league in assists ... C Casey Wellman has four assists in five games with the Bears after joining the team on Jan. 31. He had played 37 games this season for the San Antonio Rampage ... LW Barry Almeida has contributed four points, including three goals, in his last five games ... The Bears lead the AHL in attendance, averaging 9,827 through 29 home dates. The Bears have played more home games, and fewer road games, than any team in the league ... All-time series: 11-13-3-0-0. The clubs have met twice in the Calder Cup Final. The Bears prevailed in five games in 1997 with the Bulldogs winning in the same number of games in 2007 ... This season: Second of two meetings. Joonas Nattinen scored the winning goal at 17:36 of the second period as the Bulldogs prevailed 3-2 at Hershey on Dec. 8 ... First-round NHL picks: C Jeff Taffe (St. Louis, 2000) ... Connections: Bulldogs C Joey Tenute played 129 games over two seasons with the Bears from 2005-07 winning a Calder Cup championship in 2005-06 ... C Peter Leblanc is a Hamilton native who played 71 games over three seasons for the Jr. A Hamilton Red Wings ... D Garrett Stafford played 42 games for the Bulldogs in 2011-12

HOUSTON AEROS (Affiliation: Minnesota Wild) - Head Coach: John Torchetti ... Record: 24-14-4-3, 55 points ... Home: 13-8-2-2, 30 points ... Road: 11-10-2-1, 25 points ... Standings: 3rd South Division ... 6th Western Conference ... Leading scorer: LW Jason Zucker (45 GP 19-22-41) ... Leading goaltender: Matt Hackett (34 GP 14-16-3, 2.72 GAA, .903 Save %, 1 SO) ... Power play: 38-for-209, 18.2 percent, 9th AHL ... Penalty killing: 36-for-178, 79.8 percent, 27th AHL ... Goals for per game: 2.71, 16th AHL .... Goals against per game: 2.69, 12th AHL ... Last game: Feb. 9 W 2-0 at Rockford ... Last 10 games: 6-4-0-0 ... The game is the fifth of eight consecutive road dates for the Aeros who have been victorious in the first two games of their trek. The Aeros visit the Texas Stars on Tuesday night and the Rochester Americans on Friday night before meeting the Bulldogs ... The Aeros' 599 penalty minutes are third-fewest in the AHL. They are 30th in the league in penalty minutes per game, averaging 12.22 ... The Aeros are 11th in the AHL in power-play effectiveness on the road, having scored 20 goals in 107 opportunities (18.7 percent) ... The Aeros' penalty killers are 22nd in the league on the road, having given up 17 goals in 87 shorthanded situations for an efficiency rating of 80.5 percent ... The Aeros' 27.82 shots per game are 28th in the league. The allow 28.78 shots per game, seventh in the AHL ... The Aeros are 1-4-0-0 against North Division foes ... The Aeros have given up seven shorthanded goals, three behind the Portland Pirates, who lead the league ... LW Jason Zucker is 12th in the AHL in scoring with 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points. He leads the AHL with 178 shots, is second with 10 power-play goals, fourth with 21 power-play points and his six game-winning goals are tied for the league lead. He leads active AHL rookies in scoring, goals and power-play goals, Zucker has three goals and five assists for eight points in his last 10 games ... RW Justin Fontaine has contributed nine points, including three goals, in his last eight games ... RW Johan Larsson is 11th in rookie scoring with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. He has five points, including three goals, in his last seven games ... Rookie G Darcy Kuemper is second in the AHL with a 1.79 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage. He has seven of the Aeros' last nine games and has four shutouts in 16 appearances ... G Matt Hackett is fifth in the league in minutes played with 2025:53 ... All-time series: 5-6-0-1-2. The clubs have met twice in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Aeros prevailed in seven games in the Calder Cup final in 2003 and ousted the Bulldogs in seven games in the Western Conference final in 2011 ... This season: First of two meetings. The Bulldogs visit the Aeros on April 7 ... First-round NHL picks: D Tyler Cuma (Minnesota, 2008), D Paul Mara (Tampa Bay, 1997), C Zack Phillips (Minnesota, 2011) ... Connections: C Mathieu Aubin played 69 games for the Bulldogs over three seasons from 2006-09

Louis Leblanc scored two goals, including the winner at 14:14 of the third period, to pace the Bulldogs to a 6-4 win, their first in six visits to Toronto this season. Nathan Beaulieu opened the scoring with his third goal of the season at 5:49 of the first period and blueliner Greg Pateryn's first AHL goal made it 2-0 at 16:17 with the Bulldogs enjoying a two-man advantage. Jamie Devane got the Marlies within one at 18:18 but Leblanc restored the visitors' two-goal lead at 1:57 of the second period and Tyler Murovich's second goal of the season made it 4-1 at 5:09. Jesse Blacker cued the Marlies' comeback at 1:02 of the third and Ryan Hamilton made it 4-3 at 7:06 before Jerry D'Amigo tied the game at 13:51. Leblanc's sixth goal of the season put the Bulldogs back in front and Gabriel Dumont closed the scoring into an empty net at 19:13. Cedrick Desjardins made 42 saves in the Bulldogs' net while Jussi Rynnas faced 25 shots for the Marlies. The Bulldogs were 1-for-7 on the power play. The Marlies were 0-for-9.

February 8: at Hamilton - Wolves 3, Bulldogs 0

Michael Davies scored two goals and goaltender Matt Climie made 23 saves to record his third shutout of the season in a 3-0 Wolves win before a crowd of 3,445 that was impacted by a severe winter storm that struck southern Ontario. Davies opened the scoring at 2:51 of the first period and Kevin Connauton followed 39 seconds later. Davies wrapped up the scoring at 2:28 of the second period. The Bulldogs, who got 36 saves from Cedrick Desjardins, were 0-for-5 on the power play while the Wolves were 0-for-4.

February 9: at Hamilton - Bulldogs 2, Stars 1

Defenceman Greg Pateryn scored the winning goal at 16:28 of the third period in a 2-1 Bulldogs victory in front of a crowd of 4,474. Luke Gazdic opened the scoring for the Stars at 4:41 of the second period. Blueliner Jason DeSantis got credit for the equalizer, at 14:32, when an errant pass went down the ice and into the Stars' vacant net as goaltender Jack Campbell was on the bench for a sixth skater during a delayed penalty. Robert Mayer made 36 saves in the Hamilton net to pick up the win while Campbell faced 22 shots for the Stars. The Bulldogs were 0-for-3 on the power play while the Stars failed to convert on five man-advantage situations.

TEAM NOTES

The Bulldogs have played 20 home games, fewest in the AHL to date. They are 12th in the league in attendance, averaging 5,986 per game ... The Bulldogs are 3-0-1-1 against the Marlies at Copps Coliseum this season ... The 46 shots the Bulldogs surrendered at Toronto were one off their season high set in 4-0 loss at Lake Erie on Dec. 29 ... The Bulldogs' six goals against the Marlies matched their highest offensive output of the season set three times previously, most recently in a 6-3 win over the visiting St. John's IceCaps on Dec. 28 ... The Bulldogs' visit to Toronto marked their final road game of the month. Aside from a trip to Montreal to play the Rochester Americans on Feb. 22, the Bulldogs will not play on the road again until March 2 when they visit the Lake Erie Monsters ... The Bulldogs' win against Texas was their first against an opponent outside the North Division since a 3-1 victory over the Rockford IceHogs on Jan. 4. The Bulldogs had two subsequent wins over the Marlies and one against the Monsters ... The loss to Chicago marked the sixth time the Bulldogs have been shutout this season ... The Bulldogs are 9-14-1-4 against North Division opponents and 13-19-1-5 against Western Conference foes ... The Bulldogs are 9-4-1-5 in one-goal games ... The Bulldogs are 10-0-0-0 when leading through two periods and the only team in the league yet to lose in regulation when holding a lead through 40 minutes. The Bulldogs are 4-0-0-0 when leading at home through two periods ... The Bulldogs are averaging 20.96 penalty minutes per game, sixth in the AHL ... The Bulldogs are 8-3-0-1 when scoring first ... The Bulldogs have only allowed five power-play goals at home, the fewest in the league. The Bulldogs have not allowed a power-play goal at home since the San Antonio Rampage scored two in a 5-2 win on Dec. 22. The Bulldogs have killed 30 opposition power plays over six subsequent home games ... The Bulldogs allow an average of 30.59 shots per game, 12th in the AHL, while taking an average of 28.24 shots per game, 25th in the league. The Bulldogs have been outshot in 27 games this season, posting a record of 6-17-0-4 in those contests. They are 10-7-1-1 when outshooting the opposition.

PLAYER NEWS

D Nathan Beaulieu's goal at Toronto broke a 15-game scoring drought. Beaulieu also had an assist in that game, giving him 12 for the season, tying him for the team lead with C Gabriel Dumont ... RW Mike Blunden is expected to play his 300th AHL game against the visiting Hershey Bears on Friday night. He has 62 goals and 81 assists for 143 points in his AHL career ... D Jason DeSantis's goal against Texas was his second for the Bulldogs and it marked his first point since he scored in a 5-2 road loss to the Rochester Americans on Jan. 11. DeSantis has three points in 14 games since being assigned to the Bulldogs by the Florida Panthers on Jan. 5 ... Dumont has three goals and two assists for five points in his eight games ... C Louis Leblanc's two-goal game at Toronto was his second multi-goal effort of the season. He also scored two in a 4-1 win over the visiting Marlies on Oct. 19. Leblanc has three points in his last three games ... G Robert Mayer's 36-save performance against Texas broke a three-game personal losing streak. The win was Mayer's first since he made 23 stops on a 2-1 win over the visiting Marlies on Jan. 8 ... RW Aaron Palushaj was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 5. He appeared in 21 games for the Bulldogs, recording seven goals and three assists for 10 points. He had been sidelined with a shoulder injury suffered in a 1-0 win over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters on Dec. 11 ... D Greg Pateryn has two goals in his last three games. He scored six goals in 142 games over four seasons at the University of Michigan. Pateryn has three points in 12 games this season ... RW Zack Stortini is eighth in the AHL with 152 penalty minutes.

FEBRUARY HOCKEY MONTH IN STEELTOWN FLEX PACK

With nine home games in the month of February, the Bulldogs have launched a 10-game Hockey Month in Steeltown flex pack including the following games:

Friday, Feb. 1 vs. Grand Rapids Griffins 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 8 vs. Chicago Wolves 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 9 vs. Texas Stars 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 12 vs. Toronto Marlies 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 15 vs. Hershey Bears 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Houston Aeros 7 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 18 vs. Rochester Americans 3 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 24 vs. Milwaukee Admirals 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 26 vs. St. John's IceCaps 7:30 p.m.

The flex pack also includes vouchers redeemable for one ticket in the $26, $20 or $17 price range for any February home game or the regular-season finale on April 21 at 3 p.m. against the Rochester Americans which is also Fan Appreciation Day.

The pricing structure for the Hockey Month in Steeltown flex pack is as follows:

Gold: $160

Red: $130

Blue: $110

For more information on the Hockey Month in Steeltown flex pack, call 905-529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX, e-mail ticketing@hamiltonbulldogs.com or visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com.

FEBRUARY THEME GAMES

The Bulldogs have a number of theme and event games planned in February including:

Friday, Feb. 15 vs. Hershey Bears 7:30 p.m.

Military Night as the Bulldogs salute the men and women of Canada's armed forces

Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. Houston Aeros 7 p.m.

Pepsi Night

Monday, Feb. 18 vs. Rochester Americans 3 p.m.

Family and Faith Game

Sunday, Feb. 24 vs. Milwaukee Admirals 3 p.m.

Tim Hortons Jamboree

BULLDOGS STICK RAFFLE

At their Feb. 9 game against the Texas Stars the Bulldogs launched a month-long raffle of game and practice-used sticks. Between now and the Feb. 26 game against the St. John's IceCaps fans can purchase raffle tickets for $2 each or three for $5 for a chance to win their favourite Bulldogs players' stick. Each player has contributed a stick which has been autographed and adorned with pink tape in honour of the Bulldogs' Pink in the Rink initiative. Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the Juravinski Cancer Centre Foundation where they will be directed to the CIBC Breast Assessment Centre.

BULLDOGS RETURN TO MONTREAL FEB. 22

The Bulldogs will make their second visit to the bell centre in Montreal on Feb. 22 when they entertain the Rochester Americans in a 7:30 p.m. start.

Tickets are available for as little as $15.50, including taxes and service charges.

Do you have a young Bulldogs fan in your life who is also a big fan of Bruiser, the best mascot in the AHL? Then Bruiser's Kid's Club is for you.

Membership is $15 per child (ages 13 and under) and includes the following:

- An exclusive Bruiser's Buddies Kid's Club t-shirt

- One blue ticket to each of the Bulldogs' Kid's Club games:

- Sat. March 9 at 7 p.m. vs. Peoria Rivermen

- Fri. April 19 at 7:30 p.m. vs. St. John's IceCaps

- (Extra tickets for these games are available for $12 each)

- Official 2012-13 game puck

- Set of 2011-12 Bulldogs hockey cards

For more information or to register contact Brianne Whitty at 905-777-2368 or via email at brianne.whitty@hamiltonbulldogs.com

BULLDOGS MERCHANDISE

Fans can purchase Bulldogs merchandise during all home games at the "Dawg House" store located behind section 114 on the concourse level at Copps Coliseum. In the store, fans can find hats, t-shirts, jackets, replica jerseys, foam fingers, foam 'Bone Heads', and other select novelty items for sale. 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic gear will also be available for a limited time.

THE BULLDOGS ON THE AIR

Fans can listen to and watch all 'Dogs games on www.hamiltonbulldogs.com. Live coverage with the team of play-by-play broadcaster Derek Wills (all home and away games) and colour commentator Al Craig (all home and select away games) will begin with the Pioneer Pre-Game Show 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS ON AHL LIVE

All Bulldogs games are broadcast on AHL Live where fans can take advantage of mid-season pricing. Every AHL game, including archived games, is available for $189.99. All remaining Bulldogs home and away games are available with a team pass, which also includes archived games, for $99.99 and Bulldogs road games only are available with an away pass, which also includes archived games, for $59.99.

For more information visit www.AHLLive.com.

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE BULLDOGS

Fans can follow the Bulldogs online and watch game highlights, behind-the-scenes video and get breaking news and feature stories at HamiltonBulldogs.com. Fans can get the latest Bulldogs news and information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bulldogsAHL and follow play-by-play broadcaster Derek Wills at www.twitter.com/dogsplaybyplay.

Fans can "Like" the Bulldogs' official face book page at www.facebook.com/hamiltonbulldogs and see game highlights and other video features at the Bulldogs' official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/bulldogstube.

Fans can become 'Dogs Insiders by texting "Dogs" to 360-360 for text message alerts and offers.

TICKET INFORMATION

2012-2013 Hamilton Bulldogs season tickets, Pioneer Flex Pack tickets, group tickets and single-game tickets are on sale now. For as little as $10 per game, you can enjoy the many benefits of being a 'Dogs season ticket holder including reserved seating for all home games at Copps Coliseum, the option to redeem unused tickets for any regular season game, discounts on team merchandise and access to exclusive season ticket holder-only events with the team. Convenient payment plans are available.

For more information on how to join our team by becoming a Hamilton Bulldogs season ticket holder, or for more information on Pioneer Flex Pack tickets or group tickets, call 905-529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX, e-mail ticketing@hamiltonbulldogs.com or visit www.hamiltonbulldogs.com. 'Dogs single-game tickets are available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, any Ticketmaster Outlet, online at www.ticketmaster.ca, or by calling 905-529-8500 or 1-866-DOGS-TIX.